Progress in applications of laser induced cavitation on surface processing

[Display omitted] •The principle of laser cavitation was comprehensively studied.•The effects of process parameters on impact performance of laser cavitation were analyzed.•Different models of laser induced cavitation were investigated.•The processing performance of different materials by laser induced cavitation were investigated.•The development and potential applications of laser cavitation technology were prospected. Cavitation refers to the phenomenon of generating bubbles in water or other liquids. The collapse of cavitation bubbles will have a strong impact on the surrounding materials. Therefore, people have developed the technology of using cavitation bubbles to conduct the surface processing of materials. Laser induced cavitation is one of the multiple methods to generate cavitation bubbles. Laser induced cavitation has the advantages of strong controllability, good spherical symmetry, no mechanical deformation and precise positioning, so it is widely used in many fields, such as medical, aerospace, etc. In surface processing, cavitation bubble induced by laser in water or other liquids impacts the sample surface and causes it to strengthen or deform. In this paper, the current research status of laser induced cavitation surface processing is reviewed. The principle of laser cavitation surface processing and the model proposed by predecessors are summarized. It is considered that laser cavitation surface processing affects the mechanical properties of sample through three procedures: plasma impact, cavitation bubble collapse impact and water-jet impact. The influences of machining parameters on the impact process and impact effect are discussed and analyzed, especially the dynamic change of cavitation bubbles and the mechanical properties of sample surface. The effects of laser cavitation surface processing on micro-structure, surface morphology, hardness and strength are described. At last, the development of laser cavitation technology is summarized and prospected. As a mean to improve the mechanical properties and change the morphology of components, laser cavitation surface processing has a great development potential and a good development prospect in many fields.